White Willow (band)

White Willow is a Norwegian art rock band, mixing elements of orchestral pop, 1970s progressive rock, jazz-rock and even electronic elements. They have released 6 albums so far: 1995's Ignis Fatuus, which features symphonic folk rock in the vein of early King Crimson and Genesis as well as Mellow Candle; 1998's Ex Tenebris, which is minimalist prog/post-rock; 2000's Sacrament, a full-blown symphonic rock/pop release; 2004's Storm Season, the band's best-selling record to date,[1] mixing darker, more guitar-heavy elements into their sound, and their fifth studio album, Signal to Noise, which was released in August 2006. Their new album Terminal Twilight was released on October 17, 2011.[2] Terminal Twilight was well received by critics. Horror/rock website Bloody Disgusting wrote: "Stunningly beautiful, almost heart achingly so, Terminal Twilight unfolds and reveals itself like a painting that shows more and more with each viewing".[3] Allmusic.com called the album "a tour de force in inventive art rock".[4] MSN Music called it "a gorgeous, haunting album".[5] Terminal Twilight was also voted best produced album of 2011 by the readers of prog blog Progulator.[6]

White Willow's influences range from 10cc, The Beach Boys, Big Star and Steely Dan to King Crimson, Magma, Weather Report and even Nick Drake and Joni Mitchell.[7] They have been hailed by The Billboard Guide to Progressive Music as "one of the most significant progressive groups of the current era".[8] Typical of their sound is the prominence of female vocals, flute and mellotrons and analog synthesizers.

Many guest artists have appeared on White Willow's albums. They include Norwegian singer/songwriter Finn Coren,[9] British art-pop vocalist Tim Bowness,[10] and US avant-rock guitarist Michael S. Judge.[11] The band released 2011 her album Terminal Twilight, which featured the cover Animal Magnetism from the German band Scorpions.[12]

White Willow also has the interesting distinction of being the only progressive rock artist to require a warning label for the sub bass produced on the song "Paper Moon". This led to many bass music enthusiasts mistakenly buying the album.

Band members

Current band members

Former band members

  • Trude Eidtang - vocals
  • Marthe Berger Walthinsen - bass
  • Aage Moltke Schou - drums
  • Erik Holm - drums
  • Danny Young - drums
  • Alexander Engebretsen - bass
  • Per Christian Stenberg - bass
  • Eldrid Johansen - vocals
  • Sara Trondal - vocals
  • Tirill Mohn - violin
  • Audun Kjus - flute and vocals
  • Jan Tariq Rahman - keyboards, bass, woodwinds and vocals (founding member)

Discography

  • Ignis Fatuus (1995, The Laser's Edge)
  • Ex Tenebris (1998, The Laser's Edge)
  • Sacrament (2000, The Laser's Edge)
  • Storm Season (2004, The Laser's Edge; Japanese version released through Avalon/Marquee)
  • Signal to Noise (2006, The Laser's Edge)
  • Terminal Twilight (2011, Termo Records)
  • Future Hopes (2017, The Laser's Edge)

References

  1. ↑ Gibraltar Encyclopedia of Progressive Rock, Retrieved 16.05.12.
  2. ↑ "White Willow website". Retrieved 2011-07-22.
  3. ↑ Bloody Disgusting, Retrieved 16.05.12.
  4. ↑ Allmusic.com, Retrieved 16.05.12.
  5. ↑ MSN Music, Retrieved 16.05.12.
  6. ↑ Progulator, Retrieved 16.05.11.
  7. ↑ Bill's Prog Blog Interview with J. Holm-Lupo, Retrieved 16.05.12.
  8. ↑ "DPRP CD Reviews - 2000 - Volume 33". www.dprp.net. Retrieved 2009-11-10.
  9. ↑ Groove.no, Retrieved 16.05.12.
  10. ↑ Tim Bowness Diary, Retrieved 16.05.12.
  11. ↑ Rocktopia, Retrieved 16.05.12.
  12. ↑ White Willow Release Fantastic Cover Of The Scorpions' “Animal Magnetism”
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.